Questions/passage didn't match!!

[wisguy]

Hey, did anyone else have problems with the verbal test today? Without being specific and violating the aamc's terms, here is the problem: I had a science passage about a the motility/physiology of one type animal and the questions were about the mating rituals/population genetics of a completely different type of animal. Did anyone else experience this??? Any clue about how the aamc will handle it?

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[Noeljan]

fight the power guys

 

[whibbitts]

I have contacted a law firm specializing in Class Action lawsuits. I am waiting for a response to see if we have a case.

How did you present the case? What were your main points of contention?

 

[FlStudent]

Can someone post the actual letter they received in the mail? Maybe scan it in or something? I haven't gotten anything yet.

I can't wait to see these scores. I hope that this is the only blow-up we have, and not another huge blow-up after they release the scores.

 

[GT2]

bump bump any info

 

[dr.kicia]

you don't know much about the law do you? people have sued over the temp of coffee that THEY spilled it on themselves- and won millions. a lawsuit again AAMC becuase they warned some but not others about the glitch could easily be won for emotional duress alone.

first of all AAMC is not McDonalld's
and secondly if you ever want to get into med school sueing AAMC is probobly the worst thing you could do.


though it is in regards to match it's still worth reading to see where sueing AAMC takes you, even when it is filed multiple times untill it gets to the highest of courts ----->
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/...sident-student-focus/20070116nrmplawsuit.html

 

[whibbitts]

first of all AAMC is not McDonalld's
and secondly if you ever want to get into med school sueing AAMC is probobly the worst thing you could do.


though it is in regards to match it's still worth reading to see where sueing AAMC takes you, even when it is filed multiple times untill it gets to the highest of courts ----->
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/...sident-student-focus/20070116nrmplawsuit.html

The funny thing here is that by saying that suing AAMC could effect our chances of getting into med school, you are saying, that in effect you have the least respect for the integrity of the organization than any of us - how ironic? Once again this isn't Poland - thank God. I know that kind of ruthless corruption that pervades all aspects of the culture, and the AAMC would never stoop that low - at least in my more optimistic view of them.

No AAMC is not McDonald's, they are an organization that among their many responsibilities is to administer fair, standardized tests - if not adequately carrying out this responsibility leads to a lose of time, which equals a lose of productivity, which in most cases means a lose of money - there are so many lawsuits that have been won over lose of productivity I don't even no where to begin, let alone emotinal duress.

http://badgerherald.com/news/2006/04/13/sat_scoring_errors_p.php

Just curious, why do you waste your time trying discourage our support of each other?

 

[whibbitts]

http://www.fairtest.org/

look like quite a few organizations have lost law suits involving cases exactly like this one.

 

[dr.kicia]

The funny thing here is that by saying that suing AAMC could effect our chances of getting into med school, you are saying, that in effect you have the least respect for the integrity of the organization than any of us - how ironic? Once again this isn't Poland - thank God. I know that kind of ruthless corruption that pervades all aspects of the culture, and the AAMC would never stoop that low - at least in my more optimistic view of them.

No AAMC is not McDonald's, they are an organization that among their many responsibilities is to administer fair, standardized tests - if not adequately carrying out this responsibility leads to a lose of time, which equals a lose of productivity, which in most cases means a lose of money - there are so many lawsuits that have been won over lose of productivity I don't even no where to begin, let alone emotinal duress.

http://badgerherald.com/news/2006/04/13/sat_scoring_errors_p.php

Just curious, why do you waste your time trying discourage our support of each other?

it takes about 10 seconds to do a google search...
and i am not trying to discourage you guys from supporting each other. I am just being realistic.
It really sucks you got an error on your MCAT. I would be upset too. But remeber why you are doing this. Then then ask yourself if sueing AAMC, wasting time and money, taking a huge risk with your life and career is worth to have them say "yes we are sorry we screwed up, here have the $$$, you can take MCAT again etc ect." I mean just think what you will get even if you win? Couse i doubt that you will get an acceptance of your choice. The most they will give you is satisfaction you won, couple $K and a retake at no charge.
Is this worth your time? You decide.
They already did what they could. They gave you options that are the most fair they could do.
And i am not talking about corruption or whatever but do you think that the law suit against AAMC will help you acheive your dream of being a doctor?
If you do then sue them.
All i am just trying to do is give you a different perspective on things, not dicourage you. We all know that when ppl are mad they may lean towards a subjective point of view. It's totally natural way of things. As it is that ppl who are hurt in the same way will try to stick together and encaurage each other etc.
I am just an observer and i try to be as objective as possible.
WHatever you decide to do is your decision, and i wish you all the best luck with whatever road you will pick to go.

 

[whibbitts]

You can't find something on google that isn't there, even after 20 seconds. Point being, organizations have been held accountable for their standardized testing screw ups, just like the one we were victims of. Before you were saying that suing them was impossible, had no precedent and could never happen; now you're saying that it only takes 10 seconds to come up with a perfect legal precedent? I’m confused, what is your position on this?

You are the only person on this thread who believes that AAMC has offered us the most fair resolution possible (then again you weren’t even effected by the testing error), and so I’ll continue to fight them until they at least open up a dialogue with us. Suing can waste a lot of time if it is carried out all the way to the court room, but I highly doubt AAMC would ever let that happen, especially in light of the legal precedent set by the big loses incurred by the SAT folks. More probable is that suing AAMC will get their attention and bring them to the discussion table, whereas now all we get are automated email responses and telephone receptionists that have no power to enter into a real dialogue.

I just had a good conversation with Retha Sherrod “Press Release for AAMC” who said she will try to get me in contact with someone that can truly address our concerns. It’s about opening discussion and not resigning oneself to an unfair and (now) obviously illegal fate.

it takes about 10 seconds to do a google search...
and i am not trying to discourage you guys from supporting each other. I am just being realistic.
It really sucks you got an error on your MCAT. I would be upset too. But remeber why you are doing this. Then then ask yourself if sueing AAMC, wasting time and money, taking a huge risk with your life and career is worth to have them say "yes we are sorry we screwed up, here have the $$$, you can take MCAT again etc ect." I mean just think what you will get even if you win? Couse i doubt that you will get an acceptance of your choice. The most they will give you is satisfaction you won, couple $K and a retake at no charge.
Is this worth your time? You decide.
They already did what they could. They gave you options that are the most fair they could do.
And i am not talking about corruption or whatever but do you think that the law suit against AAMC will help you acheive your dream of being a doctor?
If you do then sue them.
All i am just trying to do is give you a different perspective on things, not dicourage you. We all know that when ppl are mad they may lean towards a subjective point of view. It's totally natural way of things. As it is that ppl who are hurt in the same way will try to stick together and encaurage each other etc.
I am just an observer and i try to be as objective as possible.
WHatever you decide to do is your decision, and i wish you all the best luck with whatever road you will pick to go.

 

[dr.kicia]

You can't find something on google that isn't there, even after 20 seconds. Point being, organizations have been held accountable for their standardized testing screw ups, just like the one we were victims of. Before you were saying that suing them was impossible, had no precedent and could never happen; now you're saying that it only takes 10 seconds to come up with a perfect legal precedent? I’m confused, what is your position on this?

You are the only person on this thread who believes that AAMC has offered us the most fair resolution possible (then again you weren’t even effected by the testing error), and so I’ll continue to fight them until they at least open up a dialogue with us. Suing can waste a lot of time if it is carried out all the way to the court room, but I highly doubt AAMC would ever let that happen, especially in light of the legal precedent set by the big loses incurred by the SAT folks. More probable is that suing AAMC will get their attention and bring them to the discussion table, whereas now all we get are automated email responses and telephone receptionists that have no power to enter into a real dialogue.

I just had a good conversation with Retha Sherrod “Press Release for AAMC” who said she will try to get me in contact with someone that can truly address our concerns. It’s about opening discussion and not resigning oneself to an unfair and (now) obviously illegal fate.

i never said that sueing AAMC would be impossible. I just said that it would be very hard to win. I still think so.
It will be easy to prove they screwed up and made a mistake..... but proving that you suffered something horrible even after they decided not to score those questions and gave you options is another story.
And it doesn't compare to scoring errors (couse giving someone a wrong score is a totally different story).

Why do you think that options offered to you are unfair? How would you change it so everybody would be happy?
Because as you read here yourself not all west coast ppl were told there was a glitch in the test.

 

[lilmirsk1]

Besides the AAMC, I have never seen someone more antagonistic to a large group of people than Dr. Kicia (I wonder if someone came into her office presenting her with a serious medical problem and her resolution was in telling her patient to just think positive about the problem and it will go away). The problem with my post is that it will fuel Dr. Kicia to respond blindly and abundantly with her insane idealistic ideologies. I am preparing for 4 responses in the next day by her. For all of you who become frustrated by her threads (as my blood boils because of her ignorance and pseudo-intellectual stance) lets just try to block her out (I know I am being a hypocrite by responding but may this be the last) and ignore her posts as if she didn't exist because if we respond to her, she will act like Pavlov's dog. I am sorry I posted this because of the certainty in her excessive participation soon. As for the legal issue, I feel like the act of unity among many people within the process will put enough pressure on the AAMC to make a new resolution because they will obviously avoid any public humiliation.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

i am not trying to discourage you guys from supporting each other. I am just being realistic.

I guess my question is why do you care? It didn't involve you, no one asked for your opinion and in fact some have shouted you down several times. Giving your opinion is one thing, but now you're beating dead horse and I can't fathom why on earth you'd still be here poking your nose into something that quite frankly is none of your business nor your concern.

 

[whibbitts]

Besides the AAMC, I have never seen someone more antagonistic to a large group of people than Dr. Kicia (I wonder if someone came into her office presenting her with a serious medical problem and her resolution was in telling her patient to just think positive about the problem and it will go away). The problem with my post is that it will fuel Dr. Kicia to respond blindly and abundantly with her insane idealistic ideologies. I am preparing for 4 responses in the next day by her. For all of you who become frustrated by her threads (as my blood boils because of her ignorance and pseudo-intellectual stance) lets just try to block her out (I know I am being a hypocrite by responding but may this be the last) and ignore her posts as if she didn't exist because if we respond to her, she will act like Pavlov's dog. I am sorry I posted this because of the certainty in her excessive participation soon. As for the legal issue, I feel like the act of unity among many people within the process will put enough pressure on the AAMC to make a new resolution because they will obviously avoid any public humiliation.

Good point. I am hereby resolved to not respond to any of Dr. K's counter-productive posts. It would be one thing if they were intelligent enough to provide some practice in discussing the matter with the AAMC, but unfortunately they're not.

 

[whibbitts]

I just had a great talk with

Patricia M. Etienne, Ed.D.
[email protected] 202-828-0693 of the Policy Research department at MCAT. She listened to my story of the unfair advantage given to forewarned test takers and realized there was a problem. She was unaware of the situation till our discussion. She said the other staff members were away somewhere for the week but said that she will present the issue to them upon their return.

I told her that there is a lawsuit brewing and they could easily avoid this action by bringing us into the discussion and coming up with more fair resolutions. She actually asked me what me suggested resolutions would be.

They are actually real humans that understand the circumstances and our concerns when they are explained to them. At some point I might need someone else to back me up. Is anyone still out there?

 

[collinscs]

i could help out. what all would you need me to do? i live in dc, so i could meet with them at any time needed.

 

[babycapybara]

i think the best thing for them to do would be to offer a retest (the whole thing...just verbal wouldn't be fair) at the beginning of march or sooner. It's not fair that we might have to wait until June to retake. They should also offer some travel reimbursement to those who live far from a testing site.

I really want to find out my score first, maybe they will end up curving enough and we'll all be happy. but it's hard to say right now. it seems like it will be hard to bring a lawsuit when you don't know if your scores have been adversely affected or not. After Feb. 28 I just might be riled up enough to join you...but i'm still hoping for the best

 

[whibbitts]

i could help out. what all would you need me to do? i live in dc, so i could meet with them at any time needed.

I'd say the best thing to do for right now would be to call up Dr. Etienne (number listed above) or anyone else that is around and voice your concern to a real human. I don't even think that they fully understand what happened or why scoring those of us that had no forewarning with those that did would even be a problem.

I'd love to see my score and take it from there but 1) I don't want a score on my record that doesn't reflect my full potential due to an error on their part and 2) the longer we wait to seek a better resolution the harder it will be to find. I can't say that I have much faith in their extrapolation system coming up with a fair score when they've made a public statement saying that they realize there was a major discrepancy within the population that received the faulty passage but that they would score us all equally - that doesn't make sense and can never lead to a fair curve, which in turn means that because I was one of the unluck ones that didn't get forewarned I will be penalized. That doesn't work for me.

The only arguement against re-taking a single section is that the MCAT is an endurance test with the stress of each section playing into the next. That all makes perfect sense until you have to factor in the stress of receiving a faulty exam and having to re-take, even a part of the test, many months later.

I work way more than full time and don't have 50 hours a week to keep cramming science info into my head (info a friend of mine in her 4th year of med school just reassured me today I would NEVER be using again) to get a competive score. However, I do have about an hour a day to dedicate to getting a better resolution.

 

[UMP]

I'd say the best thing to do for right now would be to call up Dr. Etienne (number listed above) or anyone else that is around and voice your concern to a real human. I don't even think that they fully understand what happened or why scoring those of us that had no forewarning with those that did would even be a problem.

I'd love to see my score and take it from there but 1) I don't want a score on my record that doesn't reflect my full potential due to an error on their part and 2) the longer we wait to seek a better resolution the harder it will be to find. I can't say that I have much faith in their extrapolation system coming up with a fair score when they've made a public statement saying that they realize there was a major discrepancy within the population that received the faulty passage but that they would score us all equally - that doesn't make sense and can never lead to a fair curve, which in turn means that because I was one of the unluck ones that didn't get forewarned I will be penalized. That doesn't work for me.

The only arguement against re-taking a single section is that the MCAT is an endurance test with the stress of each section playing into the next. That all makes perfect sense until you have to factor in the stress of receiving a faulty exam and having to re-take, even a part of the test, many months later.

I work way more than full time and don't have 50 hours a week to keep cramming science info into my head (info a friend of mine in her 4th year of med school just reassured me today I would NEVER be using again) to get a competive score. However, I do have about an hour a day to dedicate to getting a better resolution.

just retake the damn test...
I find it amazing that people think you need to cram all this info back in to your head, when in reality if you studied enough and correctly the first time, the material should just come back to you. There wasn't anything to really memorize on the MCAT, there was stuff to understand. I really think it would take me less than 20 hours (and I'm being conservative here) to get back in to MCAT testing shape and I took it back in August. And I think so could any of you since you just took it.

And if you were "cramming" for this test, then you were going about things the wrong way and probably would've done ****tily no matter what...

 

[madchemist]

Ahh, what a terrible fate has befallen us all! I, too, received the faulty question/answer passage on the MCAT. And I've been giving it a lot of thought. First of all, I see that a number of you are intent on a lawsuit, if for nothing else than to get the AAMC's attention. Understandable.

But as much as I've been thinking, I can't imagine a fairer resolution to the problem than the one offered by AAMC (no, I'm not an AAMC goon...I'm an MCAT slave, like the rest of you). What more can they do? Offering anything more than a free retake would inspire the ire (and possible legal action) of all the other examinees who did not receive the faulty passage. For the record, I'm all for legal action when there exists enough passion to actually inspire it--it tends to keep people and organizations in line...helps to perpetuate fairness. That's my idealistic, rebellious side though--the same one that wanted to overthrow the government back in the day. My rational side tells me that a lawsuit against the AAMC would be next to impossible to win (mind you, I say "next to" impossible). Sure, there is their team of a dozen or so immaculately dressed lawyers, and the power, money, and prestige of an apparently overgrown medical education organization. But even that isn't want tells me that a lawsuit is not the solution.

It's this: Life throws you curveballs. Gives you lemons, if you will. I might even phrase it in that form that we each have so often heard from our parents--that "life isn't fair." Most often, the most important curveballs and lemons are those that cause you to completely re-evaluate your life and everything involved therein. Those are also the curveballs that you learn the biggest and most important lessons from. Consider this: What if the erroneous question on the MCAT was part of the test (most likely not true, but bear with me...)? Wouldn't that question reveal a great deal about how the examinees deal with unforseen stress...with unforseen events and unforseen consequences? And isn't the ability to quickly comprehend and manage such stressors integral to being an effective physician?

I'm not trying to preach here. I'm not trying to dissuade anybody from seeking the justice they feel they deserve. And I'm certainly not trying to dissuade anybody from following their dreams. That said, life isn't fair, and neither is the MCAT. But it's just another hurdle. Yes, we got screwed, wholly and shamelessly. We studied our brains out, and then got ****ed on the big day. But that's certainly not the end. I might even look at it as one of the first lessons I learned in pursuing a career in medicine...that is, always expect the unexpected. We have to take it in stride; accept what happened and move on, doing the best we can. Whatever we do, we can't let this foil our dreams for the future--we must be brave, valiant, and most of all tenacious. I truly believe that med schools look at far more than the numbers when considering a candidate for admission; it's not so much about your GPA and MCAT scores as who you are and why you desire a career in medicine. If you desire medicine enough, I think, then this random and unfortunate error shouldn't be enough to stop you. 'Tis but another hurdle.

To revert back to my idealistic side, "whether or not we realize it, the universe is unfolding as it should." We can't affect the past--can't change our GPA's, can't forestall or foretell the appearance of Robotuna. What we can do is capture...seize...the present and craft our own destinies. We, and only we, decide our futures. The future we each desire lies at the end of a path filled with hard work, dedication, and perseverance...not to mention a few unfortunate and unforseen mistakes.

 

[caliboy007]

I just had a great talk with

Patricia M. Etienne, Ed.D.
[email protected] 202-828-0693 of the Policy Research department at MCAT. She listened to my story of the unfair advantage given to forewarned test takers and realized there was a problem. She was unaware of the situation till our discussion. She said the other staff members were away somewhere for the week but said that she will present the issue to them upon their return.

I told her that there is a lawsuit brewing and they could easily avoid this action by bringing us into the discussion and coming up with more fair resolutions. She actually asked me what me suggested resolutions would be.

They are actually real humans that understand the circumstances and our concerns when they are explained to them. At some point I might need someone else to back me up. Is anyone still out there?

What do you suggest we do? Contact Etienne? Did she say what she would do now or is she still going to give everyone the run around? Also, for those interested, I have not posted because I have not heard back from the law firm yet.

 

[whibbitts]

What do you suggest we do? Contact Etienne? Did she say what she would do now or is she still going to give everyone the run around? Also, for those interested, I have not posted because I have not heard back from the law firm yet.

I recommend contacting the staff at MCAT directly. Everyone I talked to has listened and genuinely sounded concerned by the problem which, unless they were faking it, they didn't fully understand until I explained it to them.

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

General Information [email protected] 202-828-0690 Policy Research Ellen R. Julian, Ph.D.
[email protected] 202-828-0692
Patricia M. Etienne, Ed.D.
[email protected] 202-828-0693 Security and Procedures Michelle Sparacino
[email protected] 202-828-0603

 

[bob123456]

I contacted the director of the MCAT. The email is posted a few pages back in thread. She refused to answer me directly and forwarded it to her assistant, who told me to void my test or take the score pretty much. There is no negotiating with these people. Unfortunately the MCAT's monopoly on medical school testing allows them to not consider the needs of their customers whatsoever.

 

[whibbitts]

I contacted the director of the MCAT. The email is posted a few pages back in thread. She refused to answer me directly and forwarded it to her assistant, who told me to void my test or take the score pretty much. There is no negotiating with these people. Unfortunately the MCAT's monopoly on medical school testing allows them to not consider the needs of their customers whatsoever.

I'm sorry to hear you got that response. When I have presented the legality of offering two sets of testing conditions (forewarned vs warned) in regards to the faulty passage while scoring them equally, no one has brushed me off. I think they realize that that would be a completely unfair, unethical and illegal maneuver.

 

[Four]

I'm sorry to hear you got that response. When I have presented the legality of offering two sets of testing conditions (forewarned vs warned) in regards to the faulty passage while scoring them equally, no one has brushed me off. I think they realize that that would be a completely unfair, unethical and illegal maneuver.

Well, they can realize it, but I think the most important thing to do is make them aware of the consequences of such actions. bob123456 is right about how AAMC does have a great deal of control. Is morality enough to make them act?

 

[whibbitts]

I just spoke with the head of www.fairtest.org (an organization that has taken on and won many similiar cases). He read my assessment of the situation and said that this case seems obviously out of line. He is putting me in touch with several reporters and gave me the name of a law firm that has taken on standardized testing cases before. I just spoke with a lawyer at the firm who was very interested in the case. I emailed him the info and he will get back to me soon.

AAMC's handling of this situation is wrong, period. Some of you will accept that, that's fine, I don't accept it and chose to seek a better more fair resolution. If you accept the AAMC's decision perhaps your energies are better spent on another thread; I think I saw a good one about med school interviews...

 

[Four]

Ah, don't get me wrong: we're all supportive here. In fact, I'm very interested to see how the case turns out. I guess you could say that I can't exactly relate. I was not one of the 4% who got the bad passage that day, but I want to stay informed about this. It may not look like it, but this could happen again in the future with AAMC, and we'll be right back here again.

 

[whibbitts]

Ah, don't get me wrong: we're all supportive here. In fact, I'm very interested to see how the case turns out. I guess you could say that I can't exactly relate. I was not one of the 4% who got the bad passage that day, but I want to stay informed about this. It may not look like it, but this could happen again in the future with AAMC, and we'll be right back here again.

I wasn't responding to you in my request for the nay sayers to spend their time else where - sorry for the confusion - you seem supportive and God willing you don't have this happen to you on exam day.

 

[ChessMess]

Go Whibbits Go!!!

Love,

Mills Dude

 

[sunnyjohn]

Fight the power, ya'll!

 

[Four]

I wasn't responding to you in my request for the nay sayers to spend their time else where - sorry for the confusion - you seem supportive and God willing you don't have this happen to you on exam day.

Ah, well, no harm, no foul. I did take the Jan 27th exam too, but I received no messed up passage.

 

[GT2]

whib any info.

 

[midn]

It's a good thing I already paid my registration fee. If AAMC has to fork over a lot of money for this mistake, I won't have to pay extra at least.

I'm glad to hear that yall are getting somewhere with your case, but I still don't think it's going to achieve the results you want.

Best of luck though.

 

[ToGodALLGlory]

I was not one of the 4% who got the bad passage that day, but I want to stay informed about this...

Just for the record, it was around 33% who were affected, 4% voided.
http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2007/070130.htm

 

[whibbitts]

The director of fairtest.org has put me in touch with two different law firms that have won cases very similiar to this one. They both read all my material and have said that it looks likes a solid case. Both of them spent the day researching the material and will get back to me tomorrow to discuss the next steps.

There are way more instances of testing errors like the one we experienced resulting in loses for the administrators then I ever imagined.

I'll keep you all informed of the drama as it unfolds - what a ridiculous soap opera.

 

[GT2]

The director of fairtest.org has put me in touch with two different law firms that have won cases very similiar to this one. They both read all my material and have said that it looks likes a solid case. Both of them spent the day researching the material and will get back to me tomorrow to discuss the next steps.

There are way more instances of testing errors like the one we experienced resulting in loses for the administrators then I ever imagined.

I'll keep you all informed of the drama as it unfolds - what a ridiculous soap opera.

What firm was it if you don't mnd? would they need anything from additional people? feel free to pm if you want. nice job

 

[BellyDancingDoc]

Hey all,

Just wanted express some support to those of you with the bad form. It's clear that you really are being unfairly treated. I know that mistakes happen, but since this is AAMC's mistake, they should clearly be working much harder to make it right.

Regardless of whether this makes it to the courts, I really hope that you can reach some (more) acceptable solution with AAMC.

 

[Four]

Just for the record, it was around 33% who were affected, 4% voided.
http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2007/070130.htm

Oh whoops, that's kind of a problem. Thanks for clearing it up.

 

[whibbitts]

If you feel that the faulty passage on the January MCAT negatively impacted your test performance and don't accept AAMC's resolutions as fair, contact the below law firm firm to explain; what happen on test day, your reaction to the bad passage (did you leave the room, spend extra time trying to figure out the illogical?), how it may have effected your score on the test etc. Emailing would be the best way to start so that they can have a document outing your experience. If you have questions about the legal process and participating in it feel to ask them.

Don K. Ledgard
CAPRETZ & ASSOCIATES
5000 Birch Street
West Tower, Suite 2500
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Tele - (949) 724-3000
Fax - (949) 757-2635
E-Mail - [email protected]

 

[dpmd]

I want to say first that I feel sorry for everyone affected by the mismatch issue. The MCAT is the first in a line of high stress exams you have to take in order to become a physician (and I hope all of you get to suffer them all-if only because that would mean that you get in to medical school). The SAT sucks too, but it didn't inspire the same level of anxiety that the MCAT (then USMLE step 1) did for me. It is totally fair for people to be going a little nuts about this (a lot nuts, like tracking down AAMC employees and beating them would not be fair). I do want to point out that there is no solution to this that would not upset some people. A retake of just the verbal would piss off people who think that taking only one section at a time would lead to falsely elevated scores, a retake after viewing scores would piss off those who would claim that by dropping all those bad scores (good scores would likely not be voided) the curve would be shifted to result in lower scores for everyone else, the current solution pisses off people as stated before in this thread, giving extra points on all sections following the error for those affected would piss off those people who think that the effect of the problem on the remainder of the test didn't merit extra points. My point is not to discourage venting, or litigation. I just wanted to encourage everyone to think about the other side a bit. Some people probably saw the mismatch, said WTF, tried to puzzle it out a bit, then went on with the test figuring it was an error that would get thrown out. Some people probably ran out of time because they could not figure out the problem, why the **** didn't match, and it wrecked their concentration for the rest of the exam. How can the AAMC provide a solution that treats both of those scenarios fairly (and the multiple in between scenarios), when there is no way for them to know which you fell into (it would be to people's benefit to overestimate the effect this had on the rest of their performance if they were to give them extra points for example)? It would be nice if they could help with retesting those who would like to do so quickly (and should allow this without people having to front the money for the retest to be refunded the original test money later), but what if it comes down to having to kick out someone already scheduled to take it so that someone can retake (I don't know how many centers are set up to offer the MCAT, how many testers they can accomodate, and what other tests they provide that takes up some of that time). How would you feel if you had a test scheduled next week, but were told you would have to put it off until whenever they say. Maybe it wouldn't bee so bad, but I know if it were me trying to take my USMLE step 1 on that day, and I had a trip planned for when they wanted me to reschedule I would be pissed. Perhaps they can ask for people to volunteer to change dates with someone wanting to retake it.

 

[rushrules1]

Dr. Kicia, post your sob stories in another forum, also, this is my screen name for this website. It is not against whatever rule you speak of. This thread has been going smoothly until Dr. Kicia infiltrated. Start your career and stop monopolizing this thread. There would not be any personal attacks if you were not on this thread. Make like a tree and leave or report me to whoever you would like for telling you to do so.

I concur.